


Sometimes Destiny Doesn't Get It Quite Right

by Alazan



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Angst, Aromantic Jennifer Blake/Stiles Stilinski, Aromantic Relationship, F/M, Familiar Derek Hale, Familiars, Guilt, Guilty Derek, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I made the picture edits, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jealousy, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Magical Users, Non-Evil Jennifer Blake, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Rating May Change, Sex Magic, Sexual Relationship, Underage Sex, Warning: Kate Argent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-05-04 04:07:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5319878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alazan/pseuds/Alazan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is a magic user who meets his Familiar, Derek, at a fairly young age. They become inseparable...until Kate comes into the picture and starts to manipulate Derek.<br/>Stiles feels so neglected and so hurt by Derek's practical abandonment of him that he goes to extremes. For the bond of master and Familiar is like that of a wedding vow...til death do we part. Stiles 'dies' the same night Kate tried to set the Hale's on fire. Luckily, tragedy was avoided. </p><p>The Hales are alive, Kate is arrested, and Stiles is a smart lil trickster who cheated death. But now Derek is guilty and want his place back in Stiles's life as his familiar, but the bond has been severed. As Stiles reaches puberty and his magical needs blend with his sexual needs, Derek is more than jealous when Stiles seeks out others to help him through those times. Though he's only got himself to blame, he won't stop until he gets Stiles's back, but...has Stiles found a replacement Familiar who's without a master?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

[(Link to pic in case it's unavailable)](https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12316189_1021909527876764_8549786474125437207_n.jpg?oh=9fbe6793d9bdef5f8695520c0156756e&oe=57A2F22B)

_**[Stiles's Voice Over]** _

_There are different beliefs about how the whole Familiar and Magic User thing works. Some believe that destiny fated people to come together, others believe that it's purely by chance and happenstance. There are stories rooted with mythology and religion, and even some scientific theories that try to break it down. It's something some people think about a lot. I think about it a lot, but in my defense I think about a lot of things a lot. But that's mostly due to my ADHD, so excuse me if I ramble off topic from time to time._

_Now, where was I? Oh, right...Familiars and Magic Users. Despite what you may believe is true or the origin of it, the fact of the matter remains the same; it's a thing._

_It gets a little complicated because not all humans are Magic Users, just like not all creatures are Familiars. There's no birthmark, or celestial event, or even a magical hat where people draw from to know if someone is born to be bonded with another being._

_Even more complicated is the type of relationships there are between Familiars and Magic Users. It can range from platonic to romantic to something I've never heard of but read about on the internet. Like I said, there's no way of knowing who is supposed to be matched up with who until the day it happens. And...it just happens! There could be plenty of years in between their lives, species, race, nationality, culture...my dad used to tell me that his grandmother once had a friend who was a Magic User who spoke only Polish but their familiar was a Frenchman!_

_Me?_

_My name is Stiles Stilinski and I met my Familiar when I was young. See, I don't mean to brag but I had a pretty powerful spark. When I was baby and toddler I would give bouts of accidental magic whenever I was overly emotional about something. And I mean I would make things explode when I was scared or angry, or I would teleport things randomly when I was doubled over in laughter after being tickled. My training began as soon as I could read, and I was taught to read very early on._

_The books I was given explained things and showed me things I could 'find in my own backyard' but I checked and double checked and my backyard did not have such things. But the preserve that belonged to Derek Hale's family did. I was off exploring and looking for things from my book when I ran into Derek. Or rather...he caught me when the branch I was sitting on broke and I was falling. When I looked up to him to thank him, our eyes met and I **felt** it. Like a **zhing** that went through all of me. He felt it too, I knew it. _

_Since then were were kind of inseparable. He introduced me to his family and pack, which were one in the same. He showed me off, proudly and smugly about having found out he was a Familiar and had a powerful Spark as his human. I took him to meet my parents. My mother thought it was adorable. My father...wasn't really ecstatic. (Though that may have to do that as one gets older and sexual desires come about, they become linked to one's powers and well...sex magic. It was an uncomfortable subject my father knew he'd have to cover along with the birdies and the bees once it was time.)_

_I loved it._

_I had a friend who helped me with my training and I got stronger. Also smarter since Derek helped me with words I had trouble pronouncing, as well with other topics in school work._

_Derek would pick me up in the mornings and either walk me to school, or ride with me if we got a ride from my dad. He'd find me at recess and either play or read with me. After school he'd walk me home and help me with homework before we got to our practicing._

_It made me one of the cooler kids easily enough. Not everyone found their Familiar so young. Even Lydia Martin didn't have one, even though she was sure that Jackson Whittemore was her Familiar, but they were never as in sync as I was with Derek. She was a bit jealous at first, but then she gave into the pride and asked me questions about what it was like. Lydia was surprised I could offer facts that were backed up by research and investigations as well as theories and that I wasn't just some...hyper active spazz. I still was, but I was a really smart and useful hyper active spazz._

_For a while my life was kind of perfect._

_Derek Hale of the noble Hale pack was my Familiar. Lydia Martin was my really good friend, best human friend actually. There was almost nothing in any book I was given that I couldn't understand._

_And then my mother died._

_Soon after the Argents moved back into Beacon Hills after being gone for a few years. With them came Allison who stole Lydia's attention during school. And with them also came Kate Argent. I didn't like her. Hated her actually._

_You see..._

_She stole Derek away from me._

__

_[(Link in case pic is unavailable)](https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/s960x960/12309903_1021941767873540_6085111997515896998_o.jpg) _

* * *

 

 

"Anything in particular I can help you with, Mr. Stilinski?"

Stiles jumped up and shut the book closed when he heard the voice. When he noticed it was Deaton he let out a sigh of relief. 

"Hey, Doc. Um, no...uh, just doing a bit of light reading." Stiles replied as he did his best to keep the book's title away from the Vet's sight. 

"Uh huh...Wouldn't be up to something, now would you?" Deaton asked.

Stiles scoffed and that turned into an awkward laugh. "What? Who? Me? Pfffftttt...come on doc, when have I-?" He stopped mid-sentence at Deaton's 'don't even try that bullshit with me' look. Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm just bored okay? Scott's staying this school year with his dad, Lydia's with Allison at the mall, and I'm sure Derek's busy fucking Allison's aunt." He said the last one with disdain and hatred. 

One of the things Stiles is really grateful for is that he can be honest and straight forward with Deaton. Sure there was a level of respect to be given to the older Emissary, but unlike the other adults, Stiles didn't feel weirded out telling him what he really thought. 

"I know it must be difficult-"

"I _know_ you do, so is there _really_ anything you can say that'll make me feel better?" Stiles asked, knowing how the Vet felt about Derek's mother. 

Deaton sighed, knowing he wasn't going to lift Stiles's mood tonight. 

"You should try talking with him, Stiles. More often than not, miscommunication is the cause of a lot of headaches."

"Yeah well it's hard to communicate with someone who ignores your calls and texts, is gone from school before the last bell rings, is nowhere in sight in the usual places I can go to, and so many other reasons. I _have_ tried, Deaton! We were supposed to train today! Because training is as much as I can get from him anymore and it's so spaced out that even Lydia and Jackson would have more coordination and she met her real Familiar in Aiden and hasn't talked to Jackson all that much in years and they'd STILL be better than Derek and I at the moment!" Stiles was panting hard after his little outburst, then he slumped into his seat. "I'm sorry. He just...he _promised_ that today we'd hang out....but he bailed on me. The fourth time this week! With _no_ warning!"

Deaton sighed again, "How about you go home? Binge watch a few movies. Maybe watch Star Wars to make you feel better."

Stiles frowned a bit but nodded. He looked at the book he had closed before slipping it into his jacket. He knew Deaton suspected he was up to something, and he was. Might be good to have someone be on their toes in case he does something that required people to save him. Packing up the rest of his things, he waved Deaton goodbye and hopped into his Jeep.

He drove okay enough for a few blocks before the engine gave up. Stiles groaned as he got out and tried to fix it but he had no tools with him that'll help. And he was out of duck tape. He grabbed his phone to call his dad or Lydia, since there wasn't any point in calling Derek, but to his dismay his phone was dead. 

"Great...what's next?" Stiles threw his arms out as he demanded from the heavens. The heavens answered as thunder boomed, lightning strikes, and it began to pour. Stiles stood there for a moment and just let his thoughts calm down but it didn't really work. He roared in anger, stormed a few feet away from the Jeep, clenched his hand around the tool he was holding and then looked back. 

He threw the wrench as hard as he could and it cracked the windshield. 

Stiles panted as he watched the wrench fall from the Jeep onto the ground. The rain continued to fall but he ignored it. He looked around and there wasn't anyone or anything around. The logical thing to do would be to wait in his Jeep for someone to pass by. But Stiles wasn't thinking logically. So he walked away from his Jeep, and kept on walking...and walking. 

* * *

 

"Oh my god! What happened?" Lydia demanded when he opened the door Monday afternoon, after not going to school. 

Stiles winced as she tried to caress his cheek, but it was badly bruised. 

"Jeep broke down in a storm, cell didn't work, thought I'd walk to the nearest station where I got muggled and beaten up." Stiles replied with a shrug. 

He and Lydia walked back into the living room where Stiles retook his seat and adjusted himself to the least painful position. Lydia sitting next to him, examine him with a deep frown. 

"Stop that, you'll get wrinkles." Stiles chided lightly, trying to ease the tension he was feeling between them. 

Lydia huffed and crossed her arms, "Have you been properly looked at?"

"Yes, Melissa herself inspected me after the doctors. It's mostly bruises. A cracked rib or two and sprained wrist. I'll be fine." Stiles answered.

"Why isn't it healed already? Hasn't Derek been here at all?" Lydia demanded, looking around as if he'll appear after saying his name. 

"Haven't seen him in days actually...I'll be fine, Lyds. It'll all be healed in a few hours." 

Healers in hospitals were only allowed to use magic in extreme situations. If it wasn't mortal danger, than human means would be used. They didn't want medical practice to lose it's touch because people become too reliant on magical fixes. As a Magic User, Stiles heals faster than humans. Not faster than Werewolves, but faster than humans. Though if he had Derek with him, it would have been healed an hour or so after it happened. Hell, if he'd been with Derek, he was pretty sure he _wouldn't_ have gotten jumped. 

_**CRACK** _

_**** _

Lydia and Stiles both jump a bit as some of the wine glasses in the China cabinet shatter. Stiles realized that he was the one behind it and did his best to calm himself down. It took longer than he expected, and lot of breakable things that luckily Lydia offered to fix up. He was too tired to do anymore magic himself. 

Lydia stayed the rest of the day, passing up Allison's invitation to going to the movies. Aiden joined them though, and Stiles didn't really mind. Just because he had a shitty Familiar didn't mean everyone else did. And Aiden was really helpful and kinda cool once he actually likes you. Apparently he saw Stiles as a threat in the beginning because he was the only one who could really understand Lydia when she was very intellectually excited about something. But after seeing Stiles and Lydia interact and seeing that they were nothing more than best friends...brother and sister really, Aiden felt at ease around Stiles. 

Stiles was happy for the company. With what he had planned, he wasn't sure he'd live. So having his 'final' moments be good ones, was something he wouldn't appreciate. 

* * *

 

Stiles stood in front of the fence for a while before he took out his phone and dialed Deaton's number. He'd done the spell to the best of his abilities and now all he had to do was die. 

He gulped as he heard the phone ring. Being nervous was a bit of an understatement. 

_"Hello?"_

"Deaton, I'm by the power plant in the north by the east gate." Stiles said into the phone. He was happy with himself for sounding way more confident than he felt. 

_" **Why** are you there?"_

Stiles ignored the question and instead said. "Call an ambulance. If I fail...I'm sorry to ask this, but please try to explain it to my dad and Lydia, huh?"

_"Stiles!? What's going on!?....Oh god! Please tell me you're not going to-"_

Stiles set the phone down on the ground as he approached the electric fence. He stared in front of him for another minute, in the background he heard Deaton pleading him him to be reasonable, to think this through, that there was another way. But there wasn't. 

One last deep breath, Stiles closed his eyes and latched on to the fence. His screams of agony and pain echoed all throughout the plant's courtyard and nearby forest. 

* * *

 

Deaton had driven to the sight Stiles had told him to. He'd called an ambulance but another had already been called by the guards who did the night shift. By the time Deaton arrived, Stiles's body had already been sent to Beacon Memorial's morgue. He heard the officers talk about it, not being able to believe that the lil kid they knew who used to run around the station had gone out like that. A burned out husk. 

Rushing to the hospital he found the Sheriff easily enough. He was being comforted by Melissa McCall and his own Familiar, the Hellhound Parrish. Deaton ignored them and rushed to the morgue. Though Parrish stayed with a shocked and paralyzed Sheriff, Melissa caught sight of him and followed. Melissa was used to seeing plenty of nasty looking wounds that would make anyone with a strong stomach want to hurl, and held it together. But seeing the boy she knew and helped raise covered in burns and unrecognizable, made her want to puke...again. 

"Melissa, get as much pain killers you can to induce a medical coma." Deaton said in a rush as he grabbed gloves and other medical supplies. 

Melissa looked at him weirdly and also heartbroken. She'd just experienced something similar with the Sheriff who demanded they do something to fix him, but Stiles was dead. Has been for a while. Though it may be hard for Deaton, who was Stiles's teacher and mentor, to accept. 

"Melissa, _hurry_!" Deaton stressed as he began to pump magic into Stiles.

"Deaton, what are you-" But she was cut off. 

The crust of burned skin that sealed Stiles's eyes and mouth shut snapped as he opened his eyes and mouth and gasped deeply for air. But he was then choking and gargling and Deaton then punched a needle into the side of his chest to help him breathe. When that was done he let out the loudest, most piercing screech of agony she's ever heard.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_!"

* * *

 

All of Beacon Memorial's healers were called into action as Stiles was rolled into surgery. The screams of pain Stiles gave off were enough to snap the Sheriff out of his state and demand answers. Once Stiles was out of view and there was nothing more they could do there, Deaton took the Sheriff, Melissa, and Parrish to a more private spot and told them what he thinks Stiles did. 

"I had no idea just how much the link between him and Derek was hurting him with Derek being...neglectful. Stiles was tired of it, so he decided to sever it." Deaton said solemnly. 

"Sever it? But that's...that's not possible. Right?" Parrish questioned. 

"Highly unheard of, but not impossible. And Stiles is... _creative_." Deaton supplied. 

"How? _Why_?" The Sheriff demanded, wanting to understand why his son had gone through such lengths.

"A contract between a Familiar and a Magic User is much like a marriage vow. _Til death do we part._ Stiles wanted to sever the link and knew that only death would do it, but not any death. Fire, in some ways, is a form of cleansing. Lightning, is a regarded in some circles as 'The Cold Blooded Fire'. He didn't want to leave it to chance...and just before he was taken away, I looked for it...that link he had with Derek, and it wasn't there." 

"Will Stiles heal? Will he be okay after...after..." Melissa wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

"I know the healers in this hospital, and I know Stiles. Physically, he'll heal. Emotionally...magically...well, one step at a time. In the mean time, Melissa and I can remain here. Call you if anything, but Sheriff I can just about feel you ready to pounce on anything. Why not take a drive...maybe pass by the Hale House? I...I think it's a in their right to at least know. And strongly advice Derek Hale to keep his distance of Stiles in the future."

The Sheriff looked torn, not really wanting to be in the presence of the boy who basically drove his son to this extreme, but he _was_ feeling like a caged animal. 

"Come on, Sheriff. I'll drive." Parrish offered and soon they were on their way. 

* * *

 

That night just seemed to be a never ending stream of chaos. 

When they arrived to the Hale house, smoke was coming out from just about all areas. The Sheriff and Parrish ran towards the house to try to help but only the Sheriff managed to make it through. Parrish was stopped at a barrier. 

"Sheriff! Mountain Ash!" Parrish yelled as he banged on the barrier that appeared briefly when he hit it. 

The Sheriff shuffled back and swiped his foot along the ground while Parrish kept hitting the barrier until he could passed through. Once it was clear that the barrier had been broken, Parrish ran inside. The Sheriff tried to follow him back but Parrish held him back. His eyes glowed and his skin began to light up and his veins glowed through like lava. 

"I got this! Call the fire department!" 

While Parrish went inside, the Sheriff ran back to the cruiser and called for backup and the fire department. Once he was done he heard yelling in the distance. He pulled out his gun and ran toward the source and watched as Laura Hale was in a fist fight with a blonde woman. The blonde kicked Laura to the ground and pulled out a tazer, but the Sheriff raised his gun and fired. He shot the woman's wrist, knocking the tazer out of her hand. Laura didn't miss a beat and as the woman clutched at her wrist, kicked her to the ground and then giving an overly powerful punch that knocked the woman unconscious. 

The Sheriff ran over and made sure to disarm the blonde woman and cuff her for extra measure after wrapping a piece of his shirt sleeve around the wound. 

Laura was panting as she helped the Sheriff lift the unconscious woman up. "My...my family..."

"Fire department's on the way, but the Mountain Ash circle is broken and Parrish made his way inside. Go help." The Sheriff ordered and Laura quickly did as such. 

Normally the Sheriff knew better than to let a civilian go back into the danger zone, but he knew he couldn't keep Laura from helping her family if he tried. She was also a werewolf and from what he knew, Alpha Heir. She'd knew what to do. 

The Sheriff secured the woman in the back of his cruiser who was still unconscious. When he turned back he saw the Hale's all coming out, coughing and panting, but seemingly all alright. The smoke was still coming out of the house but the fire was no longer visible. 

Parrish was jogging up to him, covered in soot, and panting. The Sheriff couldn't help but smile slightly. "Good having a Hellhound on the force."

The deputy smiled and then looked at the Hales as the sirens approached. Parrish caught sight of Derek running to his mother who hugged him back. The Sheriff followed Parrish's line of sight and frowned, then sighed. "Let's wait."

Parrish nodded in agreement. 

* * *

 

The Sheriff got most of the story at the hospital, but knew more would await him soon once a full investigation takes place. He checked in on Stiles once more and learned that he was still being treated with nothing new to report. 

He made his way to the hall of rooms that the Hales have taken over. All of them were giving their thanks about avoiding a tragedy and talking down about the Argents. Praising Laura for the way she took down Kate Argent, but she had made sure that they knew that he had helped a lot. Really, he just shot her but he supposed it was an advantage. 

Finally finding Talia, he cleared his throat to get her attention. "May I speak to you...in private?"

She shared a concerned look with her husband and others around her, probably feeling and smelling the emotions he was giving off which were probably all over the place, and didn't mirror the relief the Hales were feeling. They walked a bit down the hall and though they both knew they could still be heard, it was far enough. 

"I would just like to take a moment and thank you, Sheriff. If not for you and your deputy, my family would be dead...we avoided a tragedy, and it's all thanks to you." Talia thanked him graciously. 

The Sheriff nodded. "Then I hope I can cash in a favor for that gratitude?"

" _Anything_! Just name it." Talia said. And she meant it. Anything from helping out with the school's bake sale, to giving anyone the Sheriff chose the Bite. She was indebted to the man and would give him anything. 

"Order Derek to keep his distance from my son."

That had Talia tensing in shock. From the noises she heard from the rooms her family had taken, the others were eavesdropping and too were shocked. She cleared her throat and tried to remain a calm leader and alpha. "Sheriff...I am aware that this has been a shocking night. Full of horrors and nightmarish plots, and I assure you my son feels more than ashamed and guilty for letting this woman get close to us, but...keeping him from Stiles? Derek is his Familiar, their bond-"

"Has been severed." The Sheriff's voice was clipped and to the point, a bit cold too. "Look, I don't know what happened. But my kid was hurt and he went through horrible extremes. He was _dead_ for a period of time. He electrocuted himself in order to kill himself to sever the bond between him and Derek. Thankfully he's alive, but with horrible four  degree burns and has healers doing their best to heal him, but god knows how long that'll be. God know how _he'll_ be! So I'm asking, _pleading_ , not as the Sheriff, but as Stiles's father...keep Derek away. But if need be...I _will_ issue a restraining order. My son needs to heal...and your son can no longer help."

With that, he turned and made his way to where Melissa and Deaton had been waiting for news on Stiles, and waited with them, Parrish joining him soon after. 

* * *

 

**_"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ **

**_"GGGHHYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ **

**_"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ **

* * *

 

Even those without supernatural hearing could hear Stiles's screams of agony when the drugs wore off, either by the healer's magic or Stiles's own, and he regain semi-consciousness to a body that was still horribly burned. 

Talia begged Derek to leave, even tried ordering him to with her Alpha voice, but he stubbornly refused to leave. He stayed as close as he dared without being seen by the Sheriff. Whenever Stiles would scream in agony, his heart clenched and more tears would fall and he would cover his ears, but it was no use. It was permanently engraved into his mind and replayed in a loop between Stiles's actual screams. 

Some of the officers who had taken their statements were overheard as they talked to other officers about what happened to Stiles. They didn't know the specifics about him severing the bond between them, but Derek got a better picture of what had happened at the same time that Kate had set his house on fire with his family in it. 

Stiles needed him...he felt so neglected by him that he _killed_ himself to be rid of the bond that brought them together. 

He messed up. He messed up big time.

He wasn't sure if he could ever make it up to him, but damn it he's not going to try!

* * *

 

[Stiles's Voice Over]

_I never really noticed how loud my mind used to be. Thoughts racing a thousand miles a minute with information of all sorts coming in and going out every other second. So much of it that he wanted to share with Derek._

_The last thing I remembered was hearing the loud cackle of static, like one huge lightning strike. After that came the pain...the unimaginable, horrible pain. But now that's subsided too. I feel...empty._

_I'm not sure if it's part of the whole bond thing that someone who's supposed to have a Familiar, or what. I knew that sometimes Derek's and my thoughts were linked, sometimes we even shared dreams, but my mind at the moment?_

_It's quiet now._

[(Link in case pic is unavailable)](https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12294863_1021988211202229_4235652664279795417_n.jpg?oh=1a3806e625771dc220fb7c27bc6fb70d&oe=57DEEA8D)

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"You shouldn't be here."

Derek nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He was panting while clutching his shirt over his heart as he turned around to face Parrish. 

"You gonna throw me out?" Derek demanded defensively. 

"I should..." Parrish replied. 

"But you're not going to?" Derek asked, a bit of hope seeping into his face. These last couple of days have been torture. The healing process was an going 24 hour thing, with the healers switching shifts like clockwork. 

Due to Derek not being allowed near Stiles, Derek circles and stalks the area, daring to come as close as possible. The Sheriff spotted him once and didn't hold back in his anger he had towards Derek. He's always respected the Sheriff, admired him too. The shame and guilt he feels for having cause Stiles to reach such drastic measures were horribly intense. They were amplified by that moment that lasted less than ten seconds. 

( _"Go away!"_

_"But sir, I-"_

_"Just leave us alone!"_

_"Sir, please, I just want-"_

_"I don't care what you want! I care about Stiles!"_

_"I do too!"_

_"IF YOU **DID** , HE WOULDN'T **BE** HERE! **SO GO!"**_ )

But he didn't go. He couldn't. 

It was a Familiar's sacred duty, their first priority, to look after the well being of their Masters. Obviously he's done a horrible job at it, but he wanted nothing more than to repent. He understood that it was too soon and still too raw for the Sheriff to see Derek's actions as sincere. It still hurt to no longer be in the Stilinski family's good graces. 

So Derek did the only thing he could do, without having gone home. He observed what was going on from afar. Listening to the doctors and nurses, but especially the healers. They were on a very strict schedule to heal Stiles. It wasn't just repairing and replacing dead cells with new and healthy ones. Being a magical user, Stiles's own body should be healing itself...with the help from Derek. But the talk he hears is that Stiles's magical coils have been seriously messed up. Asking Derek to help wasn't even an option regardless if the Sheriff allowed it or not. There wasn't _anything_ Derek could do and that pissed him off so much!

"I want to say I understand." Parrish's voice brings him out of his thoughts. Derek eyes the deputy as he speaks. "The part where you were Stiles's Familiar and feel the need to be near and help as much as you can. I can understand that. I know if the Sheriff were in trouble, I'd be pacing as close to him as I'm allowed, but things are different now, do you understand Derek?"

Derek winced at the reminder. He nodded before asking begrudgingly.  " _Were_ being the operative word?"

Parrish nodded and looked at Derek with pity. "Go home, Derek."

" _Why_!? Why should I? To be looked at my family with pity? Or disgust? Or anger? Or betrayal? I can't do anything there, I can't do anything here! What am I supposed to do!?" Derek cried out, angry and hurt. His eyes burned with tears that he tried with all his might to hold back. 

The deputy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Derek, your family is going through a trying time. All of them were in danger. But that doesn't mean your situation is invalid. From the reports I've read at the station... _you_ were a victim too. Do you want my honest advice as a cop?"

Derek nodded. He _needed_ to feel useful. 

"Kate Argent is in custody. She's facing some serious charges. Arson, attempted murder, trespassing...anything your family can think to throw at her to get her locked away for good. But Derek...she did more than that, right?" Parrish asked, giving him a pointed look. 

Derek looked away, ashamed. Parrish could smell the disgust and self loathing coming off of Derek in spades. He sighed as he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You know what Stiles would want you to do..."

"It's...it's not that..." He let out a shaky breath, his voice quivering as he spoke. "I thought she loved me. I thought..." He shook his head and wiped his eyes. "She was just using me and..." He tried to blink away more tears as they came, and swallowed thickly. "She saw a stupid, naive kid whose ego was easily stroked. Because of her..." his voice broke then, "Because of her Stiles killed himself, my family almost died, and now everyone hates me..."

It hurt to see someone so young that devastated. Derek was taken advantage of and shouldn't be treated like he too wasn't another of Kate's victims. Parrish pulled Derek into his arms and hugged him. Derek was still at first but then he gave into the hug, and sobbed into the deputy's chest. Parrish allowed it for as long as Derek needed it. 

Once Derek had enough control of himself, he pulled back. He was extremely embarrassed about that display but he had been holding a lot in these last couple of days. 

"The Sheriff's heading this way. Come on, let's get to the station and you can give a proper statement okay?" Parrish asked.

Derek looked at him hesitantly, unsure he actually wanted to go through with it. But he too soon caught scent of the Sheriff, who smelled lightly of Stiles under all the other hospital scents he carried due to practically living there since Stiles was admitted. Swallowing, he looked at Parrish and weakly asked, "For Stiles, right?"

Parrish nodded, "For Stiles."

* * *

 

"Scott says hi. He wanted to be here by now, he was going to bike it all the way over if he had to once he heard. But with his school schedule and his father's work schedule...it'll take some time for him to do so. Given the circumstances, and some pleading from both Scott and Melissa, he'll be here this Friday morning but will have to get back on Sunday...then he'll come back for the big breaks...and then move back afterward." Lydia summarized some of what's happened since word got out of Stiles's condition. 

Stiles has been in the hospital for an entire week. Four days straight were spent with healers tending to his wounds. He was mostly healed, but there were stubborn lichtenberg scars that didn't seem to want to fade away, no matter how strong a magic was used. Stiles seems to be responding to all reflex tests, but hasn't yet said a single word to anyone. 

Knowing how much of a chatter box Stiles was, those around him talk as much as they can when they visit. Which was what Lydia was doing right now. She smiled gently, if not sadly, at Stiles while holding his hand. She let her own magic pulse through him. It was a little gesture some magic users used. In a way similar to how wolves of a pack could sense each other, and sent reassuring feelings towards their pack mates, magic users could immediate that with their magic. Magically duplicate a _sense_ of themselves and allow the recipient to get a feeling that they weren't alone...if for a moment. 

It was something she'd do to help give him a 'woman's comfort' after his mother died. 

His hand gripped hers a bit tighter, one of the few signs that proved he was mentally awake and aware of what was going on. They locked eyes and seemed to have a thousand word conversation in that moment. Stiles didn't say too much, but Lydia apologized for not seeing it sooner, or doing anything about it. She apologized for making him feel any more alone than he already felt because of Derek. 

Stiles didn't say anything, or portrayed that much of an emotion, but he just gave her hand another squeeze. 

There was a knock on the door and Lydia turned to face one of the nurses working that floor.

"Visiting hours are over, Miss."

Lydia nodded and stood while still holding Stiles's hand. She brought it up to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Rest. I'll be back tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to bring?"

She stood there for a moment, Stiles just looked blankly at her before readjusting himself from a sitting position to a laying one. 

Lydia sighed before turning to the nurse and offering her best smile. "Keep an eye on him."

"Of course." The nurse nodded before escorting Lydia down to the elevator. 

* * *

 

  

                                                                       

Stiles gasped when he 'woke up'. Truth be told he wasn't sure if he _was_ awake. Looking down he realized he was barefoot, and when he wiggled his toes he feels the coolness of the earth. Normally that would be enough to calm him down. His magical birth element was earth. Soil, plants, trees... _earth_ , were his second nature. But it no longer comforts him. It's just cold, hard ground. 

He looks around but can't really see anything distinguishable. Everything is covered in a fog, but all around him ashes float in the air. He lifts his hand to his hand and as he runs his fingers through it, soot coats him. 

That makes him frown. Soot meant fire. He's never been good with fire. Not particularly bad, but not remarkably good either. 

_"Stiles..."_

He looks around when he hears his name. The voice was familiar, but he couldn't placed a face to it. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't hear _anything_. No wind, no animals, not his breathing...nothing but the ringing of silence. 

_"Stiles."_

Who was that?

He tried calling out, but his voice didn't work either. 

_***CRACK!*** _

_**** _

He looked around wildly, trying to locate where that came from. It sounded like lightning. The sound of cackling static in his ears echoed louder after the ringing of silence. He covered his ears with his hands but then he felt the sticky substance on them. That's when the fog clears and he's in the woods, even if it's too dark to see with his own eyes, he just _knows_. 

There's another _**CRACK**_ and it gives him a few seconds of light to actually see some of the trees and other wild life. But it's not enough light to give him a clue as to where he is. 

_"STILES!"_

* * *

 

 

He blinks and he _wakes_ up again.  

This time there's enough light from the stars and the moon to give him an idea of where he might be. In the preserve. But...he was in the hospital. Wasn't he? Didn't he...die? Sever the bond between himself and Derek? Give his Familiar the freedom from Stiles that he wanted?

Closing his eyes, Stiles concentrated. If he still had the bond, it wouldn't take long before he _felt_ Derek. If he focused really, really hard he could even hone into Derek's thoughts and see what he was thinking. 

"It's not going to work. It's quiet now."

"Funny choice of words..." Stiles finally spoke. Those words were the first he's spoken since waking up. 

He rounded one of the trees that was blocking the person who had spoken. 

 

"There's not much humor to be found in this situation though." Morrell stated in her calm and cool demeanor. 

"You were in my head?" Stiles asked as he approached her.

"Healing you after your little stunt required more than healing your skin. The _choice_ of severing a Familiar Bond!" She sounded scandalized. 

Stiles supposed it was scandalous. Whenever someone figures out that they're magic the goal is to find your Familiar. It was the sign of truly strong power. The bond is a very sacred thing. A powerful thing. Parrish had been his mother's Familiar while she was alive, but the bond had been so strong that when she died, Parrish tied himself to her Mate even though his father didn't have magic.

The fact that Stiles decided to go without a Familiar anymore...

He would either be considered a fool or a traitor among the magical community. But he would hold his head up high. He had his reasons, he's made them, and he'll stand by them.

It's not like he wasn't used to being alone. It also wasn't like he much cared what others thought of him.

There was a silence in his now....one he needed to become familiar with.  

"The point is, it was clear that you weren't just physically hurt, but mentally as well. Being the only person in Beacon with Egyptian magical training, I was the only who could attempt to literally try to restore Order in your mind."

"Ma'at?" Stiles barked out a laugh. He shook his head, "I bet it was a dizzying experience. I'm sorry you had to go through it." 

Morrell was about to speak again but Stiles was tired. Tired and angry. He heard a cackle of lightning before he heard the loud boom of thunder. It made him jump a bit and take in a sharp gasp. As he did, a ring of fire manifested around them. The trees and shrubbery caught fire too and it began to rage angrily and powerfully. 

" _Stiles_." Morrell's voice was calm, but there was an urgency under it. 

She was a woman of little words, but those she spoke were always enough of a message. Stiles didn't need to take long to know what she meant. _He_ was doing this. He tried to stop it, to control it. He reached out magically but he felt a static shock and there was another clash of lightning overhead and the flames got taller. 

"What do I do!?" Stiles yelled, afraid. 

His eyes widened and he tried to take a step back but it wasn't of any use. He was surrounded by his own fire that he magically conjured and couldn't stop. His heart began to race and his vision began to double, but all that did was make the fire harsher. 

Just before he went into full panic more, the flames subsided. It took him a few minutes to get his breathing under control but he managed it. Looking up, he saw the irises of Morrell go back to normal after glowing caused by using magic. 

Stiles was panting lightly as she approached him. "What...w-what just happened?"

"Your magic is on the fritz." She replied plainly. 

He shook his head, "I've had emotional outburst before. I've made my house rumble, I've made plants die or shrivel up or even expand and grow like crazy. My element is earth, _not_ fire!"

"Your element _was_ earth. Stiles," she paused to place a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't just sever your Familiar Bond with Derek. Your magical core is unstable at the moment. Your core element isn't what it once was."

"H-how?" Stiles asked, a bit afraid. He thought he had understood all of the consequences that would follow after having done this. He even contemplated losing his magic entirely if he survived, but it was a small price to pay to stop feeling the void and neglect from Derek's absence. Different magic though?

"The spell you used wasn't one to be taken lightly. Your inner coils are shifting and rearranging. In a sense...you're going through a metamorphoses. Unfortunately...we're not sure what the final outcome will be." Sher said seriously. 

"I still don't understand...why fire?" Stiles asked. 

"You chose lightning as your method of cleansing. Lightning was the last element you encountered magically...when you were jump started by the spell, it latched on to that element. Lightning's root element is fire...but Stiles, I don't think you ever realized just how powerful a Spark you are. Before, you've been trained since you were born. But you also had some wards placed on you by your mother and my brother...severing the Familiar Bond, severed those wards too." Morrell explained.

"What are you saying?" Stiles inquired. 

"You've got a lot of power, an unstable core, and even more emotional outburst to come, I'm sure. All in all...you're dangerous. Too dangerous." She summed up.  

Stiles took a step back, "What do you mean by that?"

"It means you need to be retrained." She stated, with a glint in her eye Stiles wasn't sure he liked.

"By who, _you_?" Stiles scoffed a bit. 

"Course not. And no, not Alan either. He won't be able to help you much. Our family's element has always been Air." 

"Then who?"

"Noshiko Yukimura." Morrell responded.

"The Kitsune?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow.

Morrell nodded.

"She's a Kitsune, not a magic user." Stiles stated the obvious with snark. 

"No, but you already know magic. That's not what you're going to be learning from her."

"Then what?" 

"She is a Fire Kitsune. Her daughter is a Lightning Kitsune. You'll be training with them both so they can _try_ and help you control your new... _arrangements_." She replied, and Stiles couldn't help but note that her voice seemed rather irritated. 

Before Stiles could ask more about this, he heard sirens. Morrell had that cryptic smirk she and Deaton often carried before she said, "We'll be in touch."

* * *

 "You have some nerve showing your face around me, Hale." Lydia said coldly as she approached her house. 

Derek had been waiting on the stairs, but when he saw her he jumped up and rushed to her side. He ignored the glare and hatred radiating off of her and got to the reason he was there. "How is he? Is he okay? I heard they found him this morning."

Lydia almost felt bad as she took in Derek's appearance. He look haggard. There were dark circles under his eyes, said eyes were bloodshot, his clothes looked dirty and wrinkly, and the smell he had on him was enough that even though her senses weren't heightened, she could smell him. 

But then she remembered Stiles. How broken he'd been before he electrocuted himself. She remembered his screams while she waited with Aiden and the Sheriff on either side of her while he was being healed. She remembered how he looked afterwards. How it was still Stiles's face but...a piece of him was gone. 

Remembering all of that, made it easy to set her glare back on. 

"After _all_ that's happened you really think he's gonna be okay any time soon?" She scoffed as she made it up the stairs. 

Derek followed behind, wincing at the remark. 

"Lydia...I _know_ that there's nothing I can say that'll ever show how sorry I am-"

"I nearly lost one of my best friends!" She snapped as she turned to face him. Anger and uncertainty and grief that's been hiding under a calm exterior for the world and Stiles, cracked, and now leaked out. "I _did_! He was _dead_! He _killed_ himself!"

Derek ducked his head in shame and grief. 

Lydia panted lightly while she got her breathing together and looked him over. She used to admire Derek, respected him. He was cool and knew how to dress, and was socially high on the food chain. All traits that seemed rather foolish when life and death made everything about high school seem so...irrelevant. She wanted to blame Derek, part of her thinks she has a right. But talking with Parrish she knew it was Kate Argent's fault, which also made it hard to talk to Allison, and even though she could now talk to Stiles, _he_ wasn't talking!

"Everything's fucked up, Derek." Lydia sounded defeated as she said it. 

Derek scoffed a bit as he shuffled his feet and stuffed his hands into his leather jacket. When he looked up at the sky, Lydia could see his eyes were watery and his lip was quivering. "Understatement of the century." 

"How...how did he get out?" Derek asked after a pause. 

Lydia sighed as she looked for her keys. "No one knows. There was some weird power out, when they checked in his room to make sure none of the machines were broken, he was gone. Parrish said they found in wandering around the preserve."

Derek perked up at that, "My family's preserve?"

"Yes."

"Do...do you...do you think he may have..." It was so weird seeing Derek act shy and insecure, but there it was. He was shuffling from foot to foot, stuttering, and incapable of finding the right words. But he seemed to have caught himself doing that and so he took a deep breath and looked Lydia in the eye. "Do you think he may have been looking for me?"

"Part of me wants to say no, because I can't ignore that you hurt him. Another part of me wants to say yes because I know how...how _intimate_ , Familiar Bonds can be. I couldn't fathom being without Aiden. But this is something no one has ever heard of before, Derek. It's dangerous territory...and for the past's sake...I'd consider staying home in the next month or so." Lydia warned.

Derek frowned, "Why?"

"Stiles was- _is_ \- a powerful Spark. But he had no coven. You being his Familiar sort of hinted he'd join your pack when the time was right. Or, Stiles being the Master, he would have chosen a coven and brought you along. I can assure you many were looking into him." Lydia explained.

"He never said..."

"When would you have listened?" She gave him a pointed, blunt, look. And okay, maybe she was still angry with him. "And...he wasn't aware of it. But Deaton and Morrell, my mother, and other powerful magic user leaders have been hearing whispers. People were going to start to 'woo' Stiles. Make their coven appealing. A Spark is serious business. Like having a True Alpha...a Spark with a Familiar? Priceless. But now it's just a Spark."

"What does that mean?" Derek asked, confused and cursing himself. He really should have paid much more attention to this stuff. 

"You may have angered some...word has already spread about Kate's attempt at your family. People have heard about Stiles. People are already beginning to put two and two together. Chris already pulled Allison out of school, fearing for her life. You, and therefore the Hales, just like Kate, and therefore the Argents, have tarnished and soiled a Spark. A least the more traditional covens will see it that way, and some may be out for blood."

"What about Stiles? Is he in danger?" Derek asked, not really caring for himself at the moment. Later he may worry about endangering his family, but now it was time to focus on Stiles.

Lydia looked torn, unsure if she should answer.

" _Please_..." He begged.  

"I just can't know. We don't know yet what's happened to Stiles's magic...if he even still _has_ it. If he does...there's a chance some covens, some who are a bit more liberal, will still try going after him. But like I said...we just can't know yet."

"But...but you said he vanished. From his room that was on a secure floor with guards and nurses and staff! How could he have gotten away if he still didn't have magic?" Derek demanded.

Lydia gave him a sad look before reminding him, "It's Stiles..."

Derek sighed, but nodded. Stiles was sneaky. Ironically criminal given his father's job. 

"So...he...he..." Derek couldn't even say it. He may have caused Stiles to lose his magic? The thing that connected him to his mother? A part of him that was as close to the soul as Derek's wolf was to him? "I ruined his life..."

"At least he still has one...focus on that. Look, I gotta go. You should head home...stay safe. He wanted to set you free. You getting hurt would only hurt him more." Lydia said as she opened the door and went inside.

Derek stood there for a moment before leaving. A black Camero drove slowly by his side until he stopped. 

Laura rolled down the window and looked at him with soft, pitying eyes, "She's right. Get in. Time to go home. Mom wants to talk to us." 

Derek winced but didn't argue. He was too tired. All he wanted was to see Stiles. He feels like he's going insane and the last picture he has of Stiles on his phone is too old. He hates himself for it. Hates himself for all of it. 

He takes out his phone and stares at the picture anyway. He feels pathetic, but he probably is. He doesn't care though. He just wants Stiles. He wants his Stiles back! 


	3. Chapter 3

"Eyes like warm whiskey that anyone can get drunk with if they stare too long. And people always stare too long. They're perfect. Dreamy. And moles like stars, perfect to make constellations. Remember when I used to love to play connect the dots? Skin as white as snow, hair dark as night, and I know how much you hated being compared to Snow White...you would insist of being Red Riding Hood. But you didn't...you didn't believe the Big Bad Wolf was your enemy. And maybe you were wrong..." Derek muttered to himself as he stared at Stiles's picture. 

It was a far more recent one than any others he had on his phone. But he had to snag it from Stiles's Facebook. Well, he had to hack into Cora's account and go to Stiles's profile and download the picture since Stiles apparently unfriended him a long time ago and he hadn't noticed. 

Guilt and shame made his chest ache again. It hasn't stopped really, but with every new reminder he gets about just how distant he and Stiles have become, it renews itself. 

After Laura picked him up from Lydia's, they came home had a family talk. He stood in the back and ignored any stares that may have been directed at him. His mother made sure to keep things as neutral and calming as possible, but made sure the threat was clear. 

Things were not safe. It was apparent that the Argents broke their code with the latest attack attempt. They weren't sure it was the last attempt either. There would be patrols on a strict schedule with all the members checking in hourly. Groups of three would be made, which included human pack members as much as were-creatures. The mountain ash had nearly been the nails that made their own home a coffin. 

Talia also made it clear that all children were to be pulled from school, and everyone adult would be taking time off or quitting their jobs until she otherwise allowed them to go out. The Argents were their biggest threat, but not the only one. When she said that, Derek could feel more eyes on him, but Talia quickly dismissed everyone and called Derek into her office. 

The office was specialized for privacy in a werewolf home. Made with material stronger than most metals, and wards that Deaton himself has personalized. Whatever happened in that room, stayed in that room. In there, Talia retold Derek what Lydia had told him. Some covens were stalking the area. Given what happened between him and Stiles, it was clear that some covens may want to lash out at a loss opportunity. 

His mother promised they'd talk more later, but she was very busy with everything else. 

Derek was under very strict orders to not leave their preserve. He was probably supposed to stay in the house, but he couldn't be inside. So he sat under a tree in the outlines of the preserve, very close to the house. He knew he was being watched and listened to, but he didn't care if his family saw how pathetic he was. It was just the truth. 

It didn't take too long before word got out that he and Kate had been in a sexual relationship. Though he wasn't being hated, he was being looked at as if he was some poor idiot, and maybe he was. 

The Argent's lawyer tried to pass it off as mudslinging, but Derek had kept photos and taken videos of Kate when she was ' _trying to seduce'_ him, without her knowledge since...well, he _was_ a teenage boy with strong hormones and not good at making wise decision. It was more than enough proof and all that was left was for him to testify. 

Laura and some of his brothers tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to see them. He wanted Stiles! But that was a _huge_ no-no.

So there he was, under a tree, pathetically talking to a picture on his phone while he tried in vain to connect to their bond. 

He closed his eyes and thought about Stiles. Of all the things he liked and made him happy. "The color blue, a different shade for a different time of the day. The smell of earth after it rains. Soft dirt and cool grass that made you giggle when you wiggled your toes in..."

Opening his eyes, a few tears fell on Stiles's picture on his phone. He tried to fight it back but then a sob tore through his chest and another and soon he lost control and wept freely.

"'m sorry...'m sorry... _please_ come back, Stiles! Please come back, please...please..."

* * *

"Hello Mr. Stilinski. I am Noshiko Yukimura. We spoke on the phone." 

The Sheriff shook her hand before stepping aside to let her in. "Yes, of course. Thanks for coming over. I...I've been very apprehensive about Stiles being...you know, away from home."

Noshiko nodded and smiled understandingly. "It's not a problem. My daughter Kira had problems controlling her inner fox. My husband and I worried for her and others, and kept her home schooled for quite a while. It's not the same as your situation of course, but I like to think I understand."

"Have you...is this something you think you can help with? No offense, but I would think a magic user would have been more ideal." The Sheriff said. 

"Normally, you wouldn't be wrong. But Stiles's control problem isn't necessary about magic. He understands magic. Has studied it, and he knows it. What our training will focus on is the shift in core element. At the moment, nothing in Stiles is aligned. If there aren't shifted or broken parts, they're missing. Stiles is far from being whole and balanced. It...it may be a taboo topic for you, but you understand the severity of losing a Familiar Bond, correct?"

The Sheriff sighed, but nodded. "When my wife died, I thought only Stiles and I would take it hard. But Parrish...he's been on the force for a while now. I trained him and he was around more often because of Claudia. He was like a kid brother...or older son. When Claudia died, it nearly killed him. It...it almost did. I had to talk him off the hospital ledge. He did his best to describe what he was feeling and...it was close to a mirror image of what I felt."

"But there's still no chance of you giving the Hale boy another attempt?" Noshiko knew it was dangerous territory, but she had to try. As well as see how things were. 

She felt the anger come off of the Sheriff, mixed with agony and grief. 

"From what I hear, things are complicated. He and his family have things to settle. And whether he realized his actions with my son and their impact or not, doesn't change matters. He can't help Stiles right now. There wouldn't be much of a point to bring him by. It would only cause more hurt." The Sheriff replied. 

"Of course. Now...shall we begin?" She asked, knowing that was all that would be said about the subject. 

The Sheriff nodded and showed her to the den, where Stiles was reading a book on Fire Elementals. 

* * *

 

"You know..." Peter drawled as he leaned in the doorframe. "You have one hella nerve showing your face here, Argent."

"Quite the pair too." Laura added as she joined her uncle at the front door. 

Chris's heart was calm and controlled, but he did look tense and unnerved as he stared at the two Hales who answered the door.

"I'm no strategy genuis-" Peter began.

"You'll take credit as one though." Laura butted in without looking away from the hunter.

"True." Peter nodded before continuing, "But even this is a stupidly bold move. Coming into _our_ territory, in broad daylight no less. What? Is this a distraction while some of your hunters are sneaking into the nurseries right now, killing our cubs before coming down to surround us from all sides?"

" _Peter_." Mr. Hale came forth and glared at his brother-in-law and then shifted a heavy gaze to his daughter. "Take Laura and go check on dinner."

Peter and Laura glared at Chris for another moment, before Mr. Hale growled and they were off. Mr. Hale turned to Chris but didn't offer to change his set in glare. "Despite my brother-in-law's dramatics, I'm not going to call him far-fetched. What are you doing here, Argent?"

"I want to call a truce." Chris said evenly. 

Mr. Hale scoffed. "A _truce_? You want a truce after your sister and her hunters, under your father's authority cattled my family like animals, and tried to burn us to the ground; _alive_! After your sister seduced and _raped_ my underage son!?"

Chris winced heavily at that but he held his ground. 

"Look, my father and sister have strong, bigoted, and old fashioned ways of thinking...I am _not_ defending them. But they underestimated something very dangerous. Your son's Familiar Bond with the Stilinski boy. I'm sure by now you've heard of the discontent in the magical communities?"

"We've been rather... _busy_. But...yes, we've heard murmurs." Mr. Hale admitted. 

"They aren't just murmurs anymore. All the hunters under my sister's authority have been found dead. Only because she was under strict surveillance and being interrogated by difference branches of the law, was it that she is alive."

"What are you saying?" Mr. Hale asked. 

"My sister's... _interactions_ , with your son has caused the Stilinski boy to sever his bond with your son. Many are displeased. Some are seething. If a truce can't be made, then at least let this warning have some weight should I come for help in the future. I don't care about me, but my daughter...she shouldn't have to pay with her life for my father and sister's mistakes." Chris said seriously. 

Mr. Hale frowned. "I can't honestly say I'm saddened that wild, undisciplined hunters are dead. But how can you know they were killed because of Derek's bond with Stiles?"

"It's not unheard of that hunters hunt magic-users too. But magic users register as humans. They're not restricted or weak to things like mountain ash or wolves bane. Their magic and all of that make them...not the kind of enemies one would like to make. I won't lie...my father has eyed your pack for generations. He was always looking for a screw up or excuse. The more respectable your wife became as an Alpha, the more he wanted to take her and all of you out. When your son became a known Familiar to the Stilinski child, my father lost it. That Bond added a protection from hunters from all over. So you see...Kate's way into your family couldn't be just _anyone_. She targeted Derek and placed herself between him and Stiles, hoping to distance them enough. The bond being severed was not what anyone predicted." Chris looked haunted as he spoke to Mr. Hale. 

Mr. Hale himself didn't look too well either. 

"We didn't know about the protection with Stiles's bond with Derek. Do you know which coven?"

Chris shook his head. "That sort of information isn't one easily passed around. In a way that usually only an Alpha knows their Emissary. But the point is that a coven is pissed. Will they mostly seek revenge on the hunters? I don't know. But it's best you keep your son in your sight always. Maybe the rest as well...if these last couple of days have been rough, the weeks to come will be rougher." 

* * *

 

Stiles was chanting in Latin under his breath as he tried to make the plants in the backyard bloom. He spent three hours going over the basics of being a Fire Elemental with Mrs. Yukimura, and as much as he appreciated her taking the time to teach him, he was feeling cooped up. 

As a magic user he has this connection to the Earth. But now it's been muffled. He can hear the Earth through his magic, _feel_ it, but it was so damn quiet. Before when his core element used to be Earth, it would be loud and obvious. A day to day, round the clock noises that settled into the back of Stiles's brain much like the sounds of traffic and car alarms and birds chirping. Something you couldn't escape unless you left civilization. 

Now he didn't have his connection to Derek or the Earth and everything was so damn quiet!

"ARGH!" He yelled in frustration, which naturally caused the plants he's been focusing on to catch fire. With widened eyes, he focuses as much as he can to put the fire out. It was an easy enough spell that would take less than a second, but not anymore. It took him four minutes and thirty-eight seconds to put the fire out and then another hour to revive the plants to their former glory. 

He knew it was still new and he should be patient, but he was frustrated and angry at himself. Though he promised his father he'd stay home, at the moment all he could do was try not to think or dwell in the depressing thoughts about losing Derek and his control and his core Earth Element. 

* * *

 

In retrospect, wandering off when you're blinded by rage doesn't ever end well. At least not in his case. 

Stiles tried his best to find a trail or a marker or something to get him in the right direction, but there wasn't anything but dense forest all around him. 

" ** _Gggggrrrrrr_**."

"Why me?" Stiles groaned quietly. 

* * *

 

"Derek! Get back here!" Laura called out. 

"I heard something." Derek protested as he trudged through. 

"In the woods? Yeah, you'll be bound to hear stuff in there. Come on, Der-Bear. Dad was pretty clear about us, especially you, not leaving the house." Laura argued. 

"Then go back and get him or mom, because I'm not leaving!" Derek yelled stubbornly. 

"Der-" ' ** _Crack_** ' "Okay, I heard that." Laura said as she jogged the rest of the way to her brother. 

"I know that scent." Derek said after a minute and ran off after it. 

"Derek!" Laura yelled before she ran after him too. When she reached him, she was about to lecture him, but then saw Parrish. "Deputy? What are you doing here?"

Parrish sighed before after looking between Derek and Laura. "Stiles ran off again. We don't know where is he and we're not sure if he's... _aware_." 

"We'll help look." Derek said immediately.

"We'd love to, but we should be getting back." Laura said. 

Derek turned to glare at her. "Stiles is in danger!"

"So are you!"

"I don't care!"

"You should!" 

"He's messed up now because of me! I fucked him up, I fucked up our family! And I can't do anything to fix it! He was _my_ Master, let me help him!" Derek roared, tears of frustration threatening to fall. 

"Dere-" Laura started but then Peter's voice chimed in.

"Talia and your dad are on the way." 

"Wha-" Derek asked, confused. 

"We're wasting time, come on." Peter gruffed before they went off with Parrish to look for Stiles.  

* * *

 

Stiles has seen a lot of 'impossible' things in his life. 

He's seen Lydia Martin put Harris in his place after picking on Stiles for no apparent reason. 

He's seen his dad go for the really healthy choices without Stiles having to give him a strict look. 

He's seen Cora bench press a football star out of boredom once. 

Seeing a black cat take on a mountain lion makes it pretty high onto the list though. 

When the mountain lion sees that it's not worth it, he scampers off. Stiles snaps out of his stupor and goes to examine the cat, seeing how it was wounded in fight. He carefully picks it -her- up and begins to walk. It was dark enough to see the stars and use them to navigate a bit. Half an hour into the walk and he hears dogs bark and radio chatter. 

"Hello?" Stiles calls out. 

"Over here!" He hears a voice cry out and he knows it. Deputy Clark! "Stiles!?"

"I'm over here!" He called out and soon he's getting a hug from her.

"Are you alright?" She asks.

"I...I wondered off. I know I shouldn't, but...can I go now? I found a wounded cat that needs help."

"I'll radio your dad. He's been worried sick." She answered as she ushered him towards her cruiser. 

When one of the other officers tried to take the cat away to inspect Stiles, it hissed and Stiles held her closer. "She's with me."

The ride home was quiet. When he got there, his dad pulled him into a tight embrace. It seemed that no one blamed him for running off, but were concerned it was sort of like sleep walking. Stiles didn't correct anyone because he didn't want to feel like he was in trouble for running away after an emotional outburst. He was allowed to go rest, though his dad locked the window from the inside _and_ outside for safety precautions. 

Stiles started to make a little bed for his new friend, but then found her curled up in his bed. He smiled slightly before taking off his shoes, jacket, and jeans and joining her. 

"You seem alright for the most part, but we'll go to Deaton tomorrow for his opinion. Night, Alice." Stiles said. The name came from Alice in Wonderland. The cat attacking the mountain lion was insane, which made him think of the infamous line, 'We'e all mad here.' 

* * *

 

Stiles fell asleep with a black cat and woke up with a naked brunette. 


End file.
